


Sentimental

by maddogkyouchan



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Nonbinary Character, Other, Shiratorizawa Fanweek 2020, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:53:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25009528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maddogkyouchan/pseuds/maddogkyouchan
Summary: It’s not a particularly long walk to the flower shop- it’s only a few streets away, and Shirabu walks fairly quickly when they’re on a mission. As usually, they pull the door open gently, just barely enough to make the bell ring, and step inside-Only to see their favorite cashier missing.
Relationships: Shirabu Kenjirou/Tsukishima Kei
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19
Collections: Shiratorizawa Fanweek 2020





	Sentimental

Shirabu Kenjirou is not the type of person to let sentiments get in the way of their ambitions. While they work as the receptionist at the local White Swan Tattoo Parlor, it’s entirely to pay for necessities while they’re in med school. When they’ve graduated, they’ll move on, regardless of how well they get along with their coworkers, or how much fun they have turning away problem clients no one wants to take on.

And they _are_ having fun, they won’t lie about that. Maybe they won’t tell their coworkers to their faces, but it’s nice to chat with Semi or Oohira in between their appointments. They like scolding Goshiki for trying to show off his art skills to Ushijima’s clients to try to get more attention for his work. It takes all of their effort to avoid smiling when Kawanishi tells them the latest gossip- either about his clients, or their shared coworkers.

And most of all, they enjoy the weekly trip to the Black Crow Florists.

Ushijima likes plants- he’s a farm boy at heart, Tendou once said, fake-swooning into his arms. Ushijima had just barely caught him before he bumped into the tattooing chair. Apparently, when he opened the parlor, he insisted on putting plants everywhere he could fit them. Since then, they’ve scaled down and changed the types of plants, mostly to avoid making clients with allergies ill in the waiting room. Still, the parlor is a place full of green plant life in every corner and window.

Thus, they need a lot of nutrients. While Ushijima insists on taking over the actual care of the plants, he’s usually too busy- as their most requested artist- to make the trip down to the flower shop to get what he needs. Shirabu originally refused the task- it wasn’t in their job duties, and they weren’t sure one out-of-description task wouldn’t lead to more yet, not knowing what kind of boss Ushijima is. Goshiki did it for a while, until he got sick and had to reschedule all of his appointments for a whole week.

Shirabu had gone on the trip, intending it to be just that one time- at least, until they met the cashier who worked every Wednesday afternoon. They were grossly smitten at first sight, only getting worse when they actually talked to her- Shirabu had kept a straight face while telling her what they needed for the parlor, and she actually snarked at them- the kind of rudeness that could get an employee at most places fired, or put on probation at minimum. It just made their heart start to beat faster. What’s better than some back-and-forth with someone who won’t just roll over and take it?

Of course, the lift in their mood was clear when they returned, enough to gain the attention of everyone working that day. Tendou had somehow guessed it was a crush, despite having no proof, and their flushed face in response to the accusation had made it clear to all present. Luckily, no one caught onto who- though they’d heard rumors of a betting pool, the highest odds currently at the tall, tattooed employee who helped them carry the bags back to the parlor- though, of course, Azumane was far too nice for Shirabu’s taste.

“Kenjirou,” Tendou sings as they pack their bag. They’re running a little late today- she’s going to chew them out, absolutely. It’s not that much of a punishment when they love her sharp tone. “Going to go meet your sweetheart?”

“That wasn’t funny the first dozen times, Tendou-san,” they say with thinly disguised annoyance.

“Ah, but which sweetheart is it today? The little redhead? Or maybe the owner, the one with the great legs, or his partner with-”

_“Enough,_ Tendou-san, or I’ll give you an appointment with the woman who insists on a live-laugh-love tattoo on her-”

Tendou throws his hands up in the air like he’s being held at gunpoint. “Spare me, Kenjirou!” They make a finger gun and ‘shoot’ at him before leaving. They shouldn’t indulge him so much, really, but when it’s time for their favorite part of the week, they’re just in too good of a mood.

It’s not a particularly long walk to the flower shop- it’s only a few streets away, and they walk fairly quickly when they’re on a mission. As usually, they pull the door open gently, just barely enough to make the bell ring, and step inside-

Only to see their favorite cashier missing.

Shirabu stands in the doorway for a few moments, taken aback. In the months that they’ve come to the flower shop, she’s never not been there on a Wednesday. It’s sort of unbelievable, like coming home after being away for school and finding your room rearranged- a familiar place turned cold and unfamiliar. Except that Azumane is there, waving at them.

“Hi, Shirabu! I have your order all set up for you today- um, unless you need more or less of anything, but I figured it’s been consistent the last two months, so-”

“Where’s Tsukishima?” they cut him off, unconcerned about sounding rude. How could they care about that right now?

Azumane blinks. “Oh, um, she took today off. Is something wrong?”

She took it off? But this is routine! If they know one thing about Tsukishima- besides her sharp tongue and quick wit- it’s that she likes keeping her routine. They’ve been scolded for being so much as a half hour ‘late’ for their unofficial appointment, so for her to skip out on it…

“Is she sick?”

“No, she just had something to do, I think…” Azumane keeps looking at them oddly, almost concerned. Maybe he should be- they’re rather upset about this change, after all.

They take a deep breath, tempted to slap their face to help get them to zone back in, but they don’t want to seem like a weirdo in public… again. “The usual, Azumane-san. No changes.”

“Ah- yes, it’s right here-”

Luckily, due to how they’ve downgraded the amount of plants in their workspace, it’s possible for them to carry everything back by themselves, though Azumane offers anyway. They turn him down before beginning the trek back, scowl etched- seemingly permanently- onto their face.

Shirabu is not particularly sentimental. They missed the anniversary of their hiring, to their coworker’s disappointment, and they didn’t care for the sappy celebration Tendou had planned for it. They don’t get torn up over any other rare anniversary- not for dating, nor their birthday, nothing- but missing their weekly chance to see Tsukishima has thrown them off completely. It almost hurts- which is ridiculous, honestly, it’s just one week-

They kick the door to the parlor, hands full with the bags, and someone comes to hold it open for them. They step in without so much as glancing at the person at the door, tossing the bags on the ground by their counter. “Ushijima-san, I got your things,” they call into the back, tension audible in their tone, but before they can get any response back, the person who opened the door clears her throat.

Tsukishima stands behind them, her arms crossed. “Ignoring me, Shirabu-san?”

It’s like a weight’s been lifted. They stand up straight- though, of course, she towers over them, especially in her heels- and since when has she worn those? Isn’t her natural 195 centimeters enough? “What are you doing here, Tsukishima?”

“Waiting for you, clearly,” she says, not quite unamused. Her flat mouth could give the impression she’s annoyed by his presumed lateness, but there’s a spark of amusement in her eyes that they recognize instantly. “I assumed you’d be back half an hour ago.”

“Waiting for me… _why?_ ” they question, almost not believing her. She took the day off, so it’s not like she has any reason to be here. Hell, even on the days they do meet, she doesn’t come here. In fact, they’re fairly sure she’s never taken a step into this place before.

“You’re the receptionist, aren’t you?” Her tone is sickly sweet, as though she’s reminding a child of their chores.

Shirabu pauses, trying not to let her get under their skin so quickly, and then goes behind the counter, taking a seat in their chair. “So… you want an appointment?”

“Multiple!” Tendou says, coming out from the back and standing behind the counter with them. “Your girl’s got big plans-”

They glare at him. “Shut up, Tendou-san.” They can feel their face burning, even more so when Tsukishima raises an eyebrow at them. They take a quick breath, trying to be professional, though it’s almost impossible with a delighted Tendou hovering over their shoulder. He’s going to be insufferable. “What kind of tattoo are you getting?”

“Why do you need to know?”

Now this is a little easier. They’re more in their depth when she’s acting like any annoying customer. They set their appointment book aside for a moment and look at her. “Because a _small_ tattoo… can be slotted in between current appointments,” they say, slow and patient, just to be condescending. From the scowl on her face getting worse, it’s effective. “ _Big_ tattoos… would be longer, and might need a whole day-”

“Already talked to her, Kenjirou,” Tendou interrupts. Shirabu could rip his head off. “First session will be about three hours.”

“Maybe you should talk to your artists so you don’t have to ask for repetitive information, Shirabu-san,” Tsukishima’s scowl has given way to a more smug expression, and if Shirabu were an impulsive person- or maybe even a sentimental person, driven by the romance of the action- they would climb over the counter right now and pull her into a kiss. What an infuriating woman.

“Yeah, Shi-ra-bu-sa-”

“One more syllable out of you and I’ll talk Iwaizumi-san into getting his next tattoo with Goshiki instead.”

The threat is enough to make Tendou mime zipping his mouth shut. He has his own flirting game that he plays with Iwaizumi, and Shirabu is kind enough to not get involved. It’d be nice if Tendou could give them the same respect and stay out of their conversations with Tsukishima.

Shirabu flips the appointment book open and starts going through Tendou’s sheets, trying to find a reasonable timeslot. The problem- they have three criteria. Obviously, it needs to be a gap of at least three hours long. Secondly, it can’t be pinned between two other appointments, or a session could drag on too long and throw the whole schedule off. Thirdly, Shirabu has to be working at that time.

When Tendou points at a gap that could work for the first two criteria- mercifully still silent- Shirabu shoves his hand away. On one of their days off? Where they’d miss a chance to see her? Absolutely not. Instead, they manage to find a spot early in the morning, when they’re working and she’s free, for her to have her first session. When that’s squared away, she hands over the deposit, hand brushing against Shirabu’s almost deliberately.

“We’ll see you then,” Shirabu says, the familiar words slipping off their tongue.

Tsukishima snorts. “You’ll see me next Wednesday.”

“…right.” They curse habit for making them sound like an idiot. “I’ll see you then. _We’ll-_ ” they gesture between themselves and Tendou. “-will see you at your appointment.”

She doesn’t seem too impressed with their cover. “Right. Goodbye, Shirabu-san.”

“Goodbye, Tsukishima.”

When she’s left, Shirabu lets their head fall onto the counter with a heavy thunk. When Tendou starts cackling, they do it again and again.

“Huh?! What’s wrong with Shirabu-san?!” Goshiki asks from behind them, audibly concerned, and they quickly raise their head as though that didn’t happen.

“Nothing,” they try to tell him, but Tendou wraps an arm around their shoulders and pulls them close.

“I know who they have a crush on,” he sings. Goshiki perks up, excited to hear the truth, and Shirabu tries to slap their hand over Tendou’s mouth, but he’s significantly stronger than them, managing to keep it still away from his mouth as he shouts. “It’s the tall blonde! Kenjirou’s into the florist’s tall blonde!”

It’s loud enough to make it to the back rooms, where they can hear Kawanishi groan at the news of his loss. It’s only barely audible over Semi’s cheer- he’s the only one to have guessed her, and this breaks his awful losing streak. It almost makes them wish they liked any of the other employees at the florist’s, but… no. They’re more than content with their back-and-forth with Tsukishima.

“Tsukishima?” Goshiki asks with wide-eyed amazement. “I guess that makes sense…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” they ask coldly, pretending their face isn’t flushed.

Goshiki seems to immediately realize they’ve made a mistake, standing up straight. “I just meant! Um! You two would make a great couple!”

“Awww, you should get matching couple tats,” Tendou teases, finally releasing their wrist. “I’ll even do it, at a discount- ooh, each other’s names on your ring fingers- _ow!”_ It was a foolish mistake to free their wrist.

“Huh? You wouldn’t even do their tattoos for free?” Goshiki asks, ignoring how Shirabu just slapped Tendou right in front of him.

“You would? That’s sweet, Tsutomu! But nooo, my skills are in demand, I can’t give up a timeslot just because my favorite salty secretary finally found a love that can match their saltiness- stop _hitting-”_

As the two of them smack at each other, Ushijima steps out from the back. “What’s going on?” Shirabu immediately lets their hands fall, embarrassed at being caught by their employer.

“Tendou-san is teasing Shirabu-san about their crush on Tsukishima from the Black Crow Florist!” Goshiki rats them both out immediately, and Shirabu’s hands flex into fists. If they wouldn’t feel guilty later, they would absolutely smack him right now.

“Satori, don’t you have an appointment in half an hour?” Ushijima asks neutrally. “You should be getting ready.”

“I’m already all! Set! I even had time to set up a new client!”

“Shut up, shut up,” Shirabu hisses under their breath.

Ushijima looks unimpressed. Maybe. It’s hard to tell- at least for Shirabu- but Tendou knows him best and doesn’t seem concerned, so it’s probably fine. “Even so, you shouldn’t be distracting Shirabu. They need to be in a good mood to greet clients.”

“They’re not gonna be in a good mood anyway, since they just embarrassed themselves in front of their girl-”

“I’m going to attack you,” Shirabu chants. “I’m going to attack you with all the strength in my body, and nothing will-”

“Your tiny, tiny body? I’m not too worried about it-!”

Ushijima ends up holding them back. Just another day at the White Swan Tattoo Parlor, except- now they’re going to be seeing the girl of their dreams more often, as she comes in for her appointments. When things have calmed down, they take a note of the current date.

Shirabu isn’t a sentimental person, but they get the feeling this date might have a lot of meaning to them in the future.

**Author's Note:**

> for Shiratorizawa Fanweek Day 3- flower shop/tattoo parlor au. this was originally gonna be semi/tsukki but somehow it went way better when i restarted with shirabu. ill write semi/tsukki some other time in the future
> 
> find me on twitter at deltonysus!


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